Staying updated on the latest trends and best practices is an important component of a successful real estate career. The real estate marketing trends for 2019 build on practices that have been growing across real estate for the past number of years—but taken to the next level.

In order to truly succeed at marketing your real estate business in the current market, you need to be creative with technology and the resources available in an increasingly digital and mobile world. At the same time, don't forget the human touch! Customers want to know you're a real person who cares about their success.

Current Real Estate Marketing Trends
Mastering these real estate marketing trends will help you strike the fine balance between leveraging technology and remaining personal, which is key to growing your business and increasing your earnings.

1. Automating Marketing Processes
Automation is a key real estate marketing trend gaining steam right now. Many real estate agents looking to save time have already begun to automate their processes. Not only does it help you accomplish more—and do it faster—but automation can keep you organized by tracking your leads and following up for you at customized intervals.

There are several ways you can automate to develop your relationship with your clients:

Develop text message marketing campaigns to engage with leads and move them down the sales funnel.

Create email drip campaigns that automatically segment your list and send them a series of emails based on their preferences and where they are in the funnel.

Use chat bots on your website and Facebook page to reach out to visitors and engage them in a conversation or answer helpful questions that can immediately add value.

2. Add Value Through Your Content
Marketing isn't just about getting your name and face out there anymore. You want to find ways to build trust and establish authority in your space. Many agents will accomplish this by developing actionable, local content for their communities.

Here are a few ideas for the kind of content we're talking about:

Home-buying and -selling guides that cover the basics of the process but then have additional sections for your specific communities

Blog posts that contain hyperlocal tips on school, bike paths, transportation—you name it

Neighborhood profiles for every community you live in

Home-financing guides that help buyers understand the pros and cons of local lenders and any federal or state regulations

3. Video in Every Way
Video is going to be an incredibly important real estate marketing trend to expect now and in coming years. Of course, video has already been essential in the last few years, but you'll continue to see its importance grow even more. You can find ways to integrate video into your entire marketing strategy.

Here are several real estate marketing trends to look for when it comes to video:

Digital home tours that include 360-degree video of the entire property.

Home tours on Instagram Stories – If you aren't using Instagram Stories to market your properties yet, this is definitely an easy and important way to connect with potential clients.

Facebook videos that are under 1 minute and 30 seconds, and can teach your viewers something important about the home-buying or -selling process in your location.

Live video on either Instagram or Facebook, where you can answer questions from your followers in real-time as they comment on your stream

4. Use Social Media to Build Trust
If you're using social media to build a brand identity, but failing to create a trustful connection between you and your clients, then you're missing the mark. The importance of trust in the consumer relationship is more important now than ever. How do you build trust as a real estate agent? Here are some ideas:

Never lie or exaggerate information, especially online, where your statistics can be easily fact-checked.

Use social media to show clients the process. If you're doing home renovations, give clients insight into that. If you're holding an open house, use your Instagram Stories to give clients an idea of how to prepare for any open houses they might be part of. Any little pieces of information that give background into how you do what you do will help create a sense of trust in the process.

Position yourself as an expert. Don't worry about puffing yourself up with false claims, but do showcase your expertise in your niche. If you know a lot about the local community, share that information on social media with your followers. If you're very familiar with the financial burdens of buying and selling real estate, use your social media to help dispel myths for others. Whatever it is that you're good at, share that information with your followers to establish trust and expertise.

Set Marketing Goals to Measure Trends
Research shows that agents who closely track their marketing ROI have more successful careers long-term than those who don't. If you want to earn more money as a real estate agent, a big part of the process is staying on top of marketing trends and using metrics to establish if your strategies are working or costing you. Set marketing goals now and check them throughout the quarter to know where you should focus throughout the rest of the year.

Alexis Petersen is the director of Content at Real Estate Express, a national leader in online learning for pre-licensing, continuing education and professional development. For the last six years she has been educating real estate professionals on how to successfully launch and advance their career. She's also a seasoned marketing veteran, with nearly 15 years of experience.
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